A house for off-grid living among wildlife

Dear Jonno,

We need your help, because these modern computer draughtsmen seem to lack the inbuilt imagination to render all the components to design a cost-effective and functional home.

Micha and I want to get away from the rat race and follow a simpler, minimalist lifestyle. Our selected site is in the northern part of the Western Cape, with abundant wildlife and savannah views. The house should be built of locally available natural materials.

The home internally must have an open-plan lounge, kitchen and dining area, with TV room close by, which will be our Internet hub.

The three ground-level bedrooms must all be en suite. We also need an attic floor guest bedroom en suite. We envisage the home having a thatch roof. Kind regards,

Percy and Micha

Dear Percy and Micha,

I certainly hope it all happens because your dream sounds like a wonderful concept, with minimalist living but connectedness when you want and need it.

This too has been my dream, to go back to the wild and even experience the life of hunter gatherer, but with domestic stock and vegetables. Crops give you food security but also bind you to a place for a season at least. I digress …

Shown is a home of reasonable room sizes. They can be made smaller, but this is a minimal saving, considering that you will be using mostly natural building materials. You also mentioned on the phone that you will be drilling a borehole for potable water supply. Then water run-off from your roof and surroundings can be fed to a small homebuilt pond or dam, and used for livestock and garden. Solar panels for off-grid electricity can be on a garage roof at the rear of the house.

Let me have your further thoughts and site details for the positioning of the home and garage.

Kind regards,

Jonno